Monday, 5 July 2010

TDF Stage 2 descends into farce

I've been boiling over today, after seeing the farce that was the finale of stage 2 of the TDF into Spa. Coming on top of the whinging comments about tomorrows cobbles from riders such as Jens Voigt, it really makes you wonder about todays riders. They sound more like Premiership footballers every day.

I was going to get into details but this post from IrishPeleton.com sums it up for me (http://www.irishpeloton.com/). As Cillian says, you have to feel for Hushovd. Cav was dropped plain and simple, but Thor, despite being able to keep up in all senses of the phrase, couldn't take advantage. And for what? So Cancellara could ensure the Schlecks get to the mountains in one piece?

It all put me in mind of an iconic Tour picture from my youth, of Anderson in yellow and Kelly in green battling the dust over the pave in, I think, the 1982 Tour. I don't remember any complaints from those men. But then again they knew how to ride in all weathers and on all surfaces, because they raced the whole season. They didn't expect to pick and choose their races and then have the organisers oblige them by only having stages they'd prepared for. Where were the Schlecks and Contador in April when they could have been getting some valuable experience? Maybe Lance was on to something by lining up for Flanders.